External Content

This content was published on February 19, 2017 7:13 PMFeb 19, 2017 - 19:13

Police work the scene where an explosion occurred near Bogota's bullring, Colombia, February 19, 2017. REUTERS/Jaime Saldarriaga

(reuters_tickers)

By Helen Murphy and Nelson Bocanegra

BOGOTA (Reuters) - An explosion near Bogota's bullring killed one and injured at least 30 people, most of them police officers as they prepared for anti-bullfighting protests in Colombia's capital on Sunday, the mayor's office said.

Details of the cause of the blast were not immediately available, but media images showed a police officer in a shredded uniform walking with support from his colleagues, as well as debris in the road, broken glass and damage to apartment buildings close by.

Another person was gravely injured, the mayor's office said on its Twitter account.

Hundreds of protesters have gathered weekly to demonstrate against bullfighting in Bogota, which resumed last month for the first time in four years.

The ban was lifted by the constitutional court which said it was part of the national heritage, prompting weekly clashes with police.